The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-03

terminated in destructive and savage
warfare, leaving the women to take
care Of themselves. Wars are neither
as numerous nor as vindictive as they
were in ancient times. During the
first 1000 years of Rome the cele-
brated Temple of Janus, which was
kept open in the time of war and
closed while peace lasted, was closed
only three times, and then only fol
8 .ort periods, and in these 1000 years
of war every empire, kingdom and
government in the known world had
been overthrow in the course of the
incessant conflict of arms in which
myriads of men persisted.
1t is obvious enough that the de-
struction of masculine life was ex-
cessive in ancient times, aud by con-
sequence the world always had q
superabundsnce of women, and this
is the case today in all the older ma
tions. In the United States, the
newest Of the populous countries, to
which from the beginning there has
constantly tended large male immi-
grafton, as a result there is Ia the
Union a considerable excess of men,
but in most OF the older States the
women are in the majority.
Coming back to the questions con-
corning the relative rate Of decay OF
the sexes, even in a new country,
with fresh and vigorous population
like the United States, all the ad-
vantages appear on the side of the
women. The figures Of the census
Of 1886 show these facts most curl
ously and conclusively. The follow
ing will be interesting:
The total population Of the Union,
as given in round numbers, is: Males,
25,5lS,000; females, "a, 036,0 900. The
total annual deaths were: Males,
391 600; females, $4,000. In pro-
portion to the population 36S,OOO
women should have died to maintain
the same relative mortality with the
men.
OF the defective classes, there were
Of idiots 1000 males and 81 600 te-
males. In proportion there should
have been $4,000 female idiots. OF
the blind there were 10000 males
and $4,000 females. In proportion
there should have been "a 600 blind
women.
OF the deaf mutes there were 49,
600 males and 1900 females. In
proportion there should have been
1900 deaf mute women.
In almshouses there were $1,000
men and 81 900 women. In proper
ton there should have been 33, 900
pauper women.
La prisons there were $4,000 men
and 5000 women. To maintain the
proportion there should have been
$4,000 women in prison, or ten times
as many as there were.
The only place where the weak ness
of women was shown was in the mat
ter of insanity, the statistics OF which
give 1000 men and AZ 900 women in
public asylums. To maintain the re-
lation there should have been only
Al 900 insane women. When, how
ever, it is considered how much cause
for female dementia is contributed
by the men the small number OF
crazy women is notable.
Thus it will be seen that the weak
er sex is far less subject to the in
fuences that produce death and de-
cay than is the stronger, and from
these considerations may be deducted
the possibility in the remote future
of the appearance on the earth OF
other nations of Amazons. There
is, however, no necessity to consider
such an improbable contingency, but
it may be worth while to
give moments attention to
the cauaes of the superior exemption
of women from decay. Since they
do not go to war nor engage In dan
gerous occupations, their lesser rate
of mortality is easily accounted for,
but that they are less liable to ply
steal and moral degeneracy must be
largely due to the conditions of So
cial restraint and limitation, which
protect them from moral contamina-
ton to which men are ordinarily ex-
posed. Women are naturally better
than men, but they are quite sensi.
tive to surrounding influences, and
although they resist the forces of
moral decay longer, they must, by
the nature Of the social constitution,
finally share the decentralization Of
the stronger sex. Women are the
true leaven of human society, and
not until the women of nation be-
come almost wholly corrupt can its
people and its institutions utterly
perish from the face of the earth.